the french by simon rogan - the midland

birthdays are always special aren’t they? mine was last week and i wanted to do something special to celebrate. nobody (and i mean nobody) does ‘special’ better than  the french  in manchester so i was over the moon when i found out i was going to the french for my birthday dinner. if you haven’t heard of the french, it’s the famous restaurant at the midland hotel which is as old as manchester itself! the midland hotel is where rolls met royce to form the rolls-royce company way back in 1904 after all. the french has its own claim to fame too, it was one of britain’s first michelin-starred restaurants awarded back in the 1974, with the publication of the first guide. even the beatles were famously refused a table at the french for being ‘inappropriately dressed’. early 2013 saw a new page in the chapter that is the french withsimonrogan taking up this legendary establishment to restore it to it’s former glory and opulence. how has he fared so far? the french was voted the 12th best r

anyone who has been following this blog for long enough will know that i considersimonrogan to be one of the most talented chefs working in britain today, and that my meal at l'enclume is unlikely to be superceded any time soon as the best meal i've ever eaten. i realise labelling anything the "best" is fraught with problems, especially with anything so subjective as restaurants, but much as i try to avoid quixotic praise, the more i think about that afternoon in cartmel, in that bright conservatory overlooking the garden, the more i realise how special it was. sixteen courses of love and joy, and edible pebbles. what more could you want?

it is probably due in part, then, to this hopeless fanboyism that i and a friend were invited up to manchester last weekend to sample his latest ventures (more on his more informal spot, mr cooper's house and garden, from lizzie in due course) at the midland hotel. the chances of my not having a great time at asimonrogan restaurant are so slim that the pr powers that be clearly decided that it was worth putting us up in this swankiest of city centre hotels and letting us loose on a ten-course tasting menu, for which we are of course very grateful. so after a morning swim in the basement pool and a brief wander around manchester in the rain (i believe this is manchester's default weather setting), we settled in for the midday sitting.

much like the way things kicked off at l'enclume, the dazzling selection of amuses that preceed the menu proper at the french are each mini works of art. crispy kale, chicken skin and horseradish bore a certain resemblance to a similar creation at l'enclume but substituting the cracker for a sheet of crispy kale was a stroke of genius, and having it all dissolve in your mouth into a riot of animal fat and cream was quite the sensation. cute little crab and sorrel canapés, too, played with contrasting textures thanks to a crunchy, puffy base laced with seaweed (i think). and 'rye, mustard and linseeds', spiked with pickled red cabbage, was fresh and invigorating, the seeds toasted just to release a bit of smoke and oil. the only not-entirely-successful item was a black pudding and sage croquette thing which should have been right up my alley but turned out to be rather bland and pappy. or maybe it was just suffering in contrast to everything else.

plenty to discuss, then, and we hadn't even reached course one. that arrived next in a little stoneware pot, and consisted of two impossibly sweet new potatoes covered in a rich cheddar sauce. toasted bread added crunch, and chives colour. it was all very comforting and autumnal, a cheese and potato pie gone posh.

"grilled radish, leek and watercress" doesn't sound like the most amazingly interesting dish, does it? except there is nobody who can do vegetables likesimonrogan, and thanks to a range of techniques and some incredibly fresh ingredients, it was an absolute dazzler. a young leek, gently charred and tasting of wood smoke, was draped around a couple of pieces of rich, salty ham in an ever-so-slightly gelatinous sauce studded with mustard seeds. a fresh radish on top added a bitter crunch to compliment the salt and soft notes elsewhere, and another type of cooked radish was so sweet and smoky and had a flavour so arresting it could have won best in show on its own.

and so, just as had happened at l'enclume, that course kicked off a run of five that could each barely be faulted. take each of these ingredients in isolation and tell me you don't want to smother yourself in them - mushroom broth, salt-baked swede, smoked yolk, truffles. now imagine all forming part of one extraordinary dish, rich and soothing, like wrapping yourself in a blanket in front of a log fire in an old thatched cottage.

then the ox in coal oil dish, much discussed by others as a highlight of their meal at the french but supremely impressive even despite all the hype. on the one level, it's a steak tartare, prettied up with neat little balls of kohlrabi and toasted pumpkin seeds. but the coal oil adds a bewildering extra dimension, the flavour of a charcoal-charred steak without the char.

caramelised cabbage - ah, you had me at "caramelised cabbage" - scallops, herbs and smoked roe had the trademark rogan way with smoke and vegetables, with some lovely sweet little scottish scallops boasting a golden brown crust. i wish i'd known that the roe was quite so punchy before i downed a whole puck of it in one, though - it was so powerfully salty my squeal of surprise turned heads from more than one neighbouring table.

next was one of rogan's famous salad explosions, consisting of at least fifty or so separate elements and presumably having taken some poor bugger the best part of the day to put together. i won't even begin to remember everything that went into it, but it was great fun to work our way through, and was interesting seeing how it had evolved from a similar dish i tried at the electrolux cube when he was cooking there last year. just as pretty, though.

plaice with carrots was a dainty arrangement of bright-white, superbly-timed fish and carrots done caramelised/roasted and as a little purée. whether it was because it was towards the end of the savoury dishes by this point or just my delicate stomach, i'm afraid neither of us really much enjoyed the deep-fried nugget of bone marrow that topped the fish; it was rich to the point of defeating. nevertheless, it's always nice when a top chef turns his hand to a fish like plaice - you rarely see it looking and tasting this good.

middlewhite pork belly was just about the nicest bit of pork i've enjoyed in a very long time, the flesh hammy and bouncy and edged with a thin layer of golden crackling. the accompanying veg - blewits, turnip and mugwort - had the added benefit of sounding like something from hogwarts' advanced potions class as well as tasting earthy and mysterious. a pork jus poured on top made some popcorn crackle like breakfast cereal.

apples, woodruff (wiki here, i had no idea either), sweet cheese and hazelnut was a pleasant if unspectacular introduction to the sweet courses. even here, though, despite rather muted flavours, there was some interesting technical skill on display in the form of some nitro-frozen, apple-flavoured meringue things which completely disappeared in the mouth like cold candy floss.

then a marvellous course consisting of toasted oats, raspberries and hyssop where the fruit had been teased into a thin sheet of translucent raspberry-flavoured candy, and the medicinal, minty hyssop came in the form of a crumbled sorbet. as you may have noticed by this point, there's always plenty going on in terms of technique, but never at the expense of enjoyment.

it was all, of course, as it was always likely to be, a joy. opening manchester's first fine-dining restaurant in its most grand and classical old dining halls is a pretty serious achievement in itself, but to do so while sacrificing so little of the charm, inventiveness and fanatical devotion to detail that made l'enclume so special has not just created the first high-end restaurant in manchester worth visiting, but another regional destination restaurant, a jewel in the crown of the north that deserves to draw in visitors from all over the country.

i hesitate to mention the dreaded m-word but enough people have made comments to the effect of "if it's so good, why didn't it get a michelin star", and enough mancunian pride has been hurt by the omission in this year's guide that it probably deserves addressing. firstly, and most importantly, michelin are an ignorant bunch of foam-frotting dinosaurs who wouldn't recognise a good meal if it was tied to a brick and flung in their faces. the briefest of glances at the awards as they currently stand nationwide reveal no obvious pattern other than that if you are connected in some way to a famous name treading water in the michelin comfort zone (ducasse, gagnaire, robuchon) or are at least serving the kind of dishes they recognise from other restaurants they've awarded (the greenhouse, gordon ramsay, le champignon sauvage) then you are likely to do well. other than that, you may as well be pulling names out of a hat. the dreadful ametsa gets a star and not the clove club? the gimmick-fountain that is bo london is awarded, and not the refined, innovative kitchen table? it's a crapshoot, in all senses of the word.

so the fact that l'enclume is "deserving" of two stars and the french not even one says nothing - absolutely nothing - about the quality of the food at either restaurant but everything about how risk-averse, unpredictable and utterly irrelevant the michelin guide is.simonrogan's crafted, intelligently seasonal, creative dishes in the heart of this grand old hotel may not have been deemed as good as somewhere in mayfair charging £80 for an edible used condom but nobody - not him, and certainly not you - need to worry about that. one day the michelin guide will be a forgotten relic of a time when the wrong people valued the wrong things about eating out and we will laugh about how chefs would drive themselves loopy to win their favour. until then, just know this - there are few better restaurants than the french.

9/10

anyone who has been following this blog for long enough will know that i considersimonrogan to be one of the most talented chefs working in britain today, and that my meal at l'enclume is unlikely to be superceded any time soon as the best meal i've ever eaten. i realise labelling anything the "best" is fraught with problems, especially with anything so subjective as restaurants, but much as i try to avoid quixotic praise, the more i think about that afternoon in cartmel, in that bright conservatory overlooking the garden, the more i realise how special it was. sixteen courses of love and joy, and edible pebbles. what more could you want? it is probably due in part, then, to this hopeless fanboyism that i and a friend were invited up to manchester last weekend to sample his latest ventures (more on his more informal spot, mr cooper's house and garden, from lizzie in due course) at the midland hotel. the chances of my not having a great time at asimonrogan restaurant are so slim tha

what sets apart the world's best chefs from the pack, in our view, is that instead of trying to incrementally improve or perfect an existing and established recipe, or re-imagine the classics, they instead do entirely their own thing, setting down on the plate a menu that is simply unique. atsimonrogan's restaurants, whether it is the flagship l'enclume, the pop up/popped down roganic or his latest manchester fine dining restaurant the french, this is universally applied

finally manchester has a restaurant that can stand up. food for flanagan

the french restaurant at the midland hotel, peter street, manchester. m60 2ds

having been so disappointed with the manchester food scene over the years, i was extremely pleased to hear thatsimonrogan’s new ventures were coming to town. having opened in 1903, the midland hotel, with its individual edwardian-baroque style remains a grade 2 listed building. after a recent renovation, the french has again been re-invigorated with a new sense of passion and enthusiasm, allowing a perfect venue to deliver a platform of exquisite food one might think. expectations were running high.

the french dining room has approximately 20-22 tables in a rather uninviting cavernous space. there are two very large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, to which your eyes are immediately drawn as you enter this rather opulent room. on first glance, mirrored walls interspersed with french decorative wall design, it was a little palais de versailles esque with mismatched canteen style wooden tables and a rather unusual carpet taking on the appearance of a hardwood floor. even amongst the grandeur decor there still seemed to be a lack of atmosphere with the usual convivial restaurant room buzz and hubbub somewhat missing. unfortunately, for me the setting was not one to lift the spirits with intrusive piano playing modern music in the lounge area on the doorstep of the restaurant, and visitors bobbing in and out of the open doored entrance with intrigue.

we were welcomed by rather dashing staff, who were charming, courteous and unfailingly knowledgeable about both the food and the wines. to start our lunch and peruse the menus we chose two glasses of english sparkling wine, one white and the other rose. in my opinion, a perfect way to start a meal. we then opted for the 6 course tasting menu, along with the ‘flight of wines’ to accompany and compliment each course. this will set you back an additional £55 per person and expect the glasses to be rather on the small side.

firstly, some pre-starters on offer, with a crunchy baby radish complete with tasty ‘greenary’ as i call it, served with a creamy mousse scattered with toasted buckwheat. to follow, a sensational parsnip crisp with parsnip puree, smoked eel, pork belly and a garnish of fennel. onward and upward as they say, as we began our 6 course extravaganza. rather unusually, most dishes were served in lancashire sourced high rimmed pottery bowls, making it somewhat difficult to use your cutlery and near on impossible to see what others around are eating!

my experience started with the razor clams, egg yolk and sea herbs. texturally this dish was outstanding, with the egg yolk sous-vide, poached to perfection, crunchy squares of celeriac and razor clams littered with crunchy herbs and edible seeds. following this the ox in coal oil, pumpkin seeds, kohlrabi balls and sunflower shoots. this carpaccio was a triumph, using the rump of the ox, smoked delicately to seduce your tastebuds with the textures adding to your overall satisfaction for this dish. next came the crab with caramelised cabbage, horseradish, chicken skin and crow garlic. as a concept i feel this is a wonderfully conceived dish. however the proof is in the eating, as they say. for me the white crab, mixed with the brown meat and dressing spoiled what could have been an exceptional dish. i would have preferred it served with a lighter touch and unabashed simplicity to the crab, leaving it in a fresher, less creamy state. following this was the hake fillet, buckwheat, watercress and smoked roe butter. the cooking of the hake was perfect. the smoked roe is somewhat of an acquired taste i feel and not one i care to repeat. next, reg’s duck, ruby chard, king oysters, mulled cider and nasturtiums. with duck, one of my least favourite meats, my tasting of the well prepared meat was good, if not a little overwhelmed by the richness of the deeply flavoured jus and complex chords.

my companion substituted the razor clam dish for the boiled sole, onions, truffle and ramsons and the ox in coal oil for the early spring offerings, vegetables, herbs, flowers and lovage salt - a vibrant, lively dish guaranteed to push vegetarians’ to venture into a wonderful world of unknown. indeed, i believe even meat eaters would be in food heaven with this one. this for me was the dish of the day amongst a showcase of wonderful, imaginative dishes using modern techniques and superb, diligently sourced seasonal british ingredients, keeping provenance at the forefront. all in all producing some quality cooking.simonrogan definitely has respect for ingredients delivered with careful balance between textures and tastes. slightly too heavy on the foams for my taste, but otherwise superb.

the dessert of pear, meadowsweet and rye, buttermilk and linseeds continued the intricate story behind rogan’s cooking. not too sweet, but full of wonderful flavour. to finish the afternoon, a play on wafers and ice-cream from years gone by. the sarsaparilla tipple on the side with rasperry meringue and a sarsaparilla parfait worked for me, but for my partner was much too sweet accompanied by a ‘languid’ tasting root drink.

at the end of the meal we felt satisfied we had tasted some perfectly executed food, some a little rich for our taste, but overall exquisite cooking. although we were pleased with the majority of our plates we were left with a sense of uncertainty about returning to give the french a second visit. i would say the food is hot, but the environment left me cold. with rather premium price tags, for some, this palatial parisian feel restaurant will definitely work. for me, however, the outlandish decor and unusual serving bowls and plates distorted my view somewhat. i found it difficult to disentangle the lack of ambience, the elaborate, elegant food and the dining experience intended.

last tuesday i had the honour of being the first guest through the door to eat at the newly openedsimonrogan @ the french restaurant in the midland hotel.

when i first heard thatsimonrogan was to open a manchester restaurant i was ecstatic, my trip to l’enclume a couple of years ago reamins one of my most memorable of all time and the prospect of having something similar so close to home was incredibly exciting.